00:00Wildfires can happen any time of year in the West if conditions turn dry and windy, but
00:05the wildfire season isn't completely random.
00:08It follows a rhythm.
00:09In late spring and early summer, especially May and June, the greatest fire danger often
00:13flares up across Arizona and New Mexico.
00:16Dry vegetation, heat and gusty winds can create volatile conditions.
00:20Then as monsoon moisture arrives in mid-summer, wildfire activity often eases across the southwest.
00:26At the same time, the focus shifts north from the central and northern Rockies to the Pacific
00:31Northwest.
00:31Even Alaska, the peak of summer is often the most active part of the fire season as the
00:36jet stream retreats north and rainfall becomes harder to find.
00:40By late summer and autumn, the spotlight turns to California.
00:43Offshore wind events like the Santa Ana's can rapidly increase fire danger, spiking the
00:48risk at times until winter storms finally return and the wet season begins.
00:53The fires may happen year-round, but the highest risk tends to move in this slow, counter-clockwise
00:58march across the west with the seasons.
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